Track-laying apparatus



(No Model.) I 7 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. E. HURLBY.

TRACK LAYING APPARATUS. No. 428,276. Patented-May 20, 1890.

(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' R. E. HURLEY.

TRACK LAYING APPARATUS.

Patented May 20, 1890.

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R. E. HURLEY. TRACK LAYING APPARATUS.

No. 428,276. Patented May 20, 1890.

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(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 5.

R. E. HURLEY. TRAGK LAYING APPARATUS.

May 20, 1890.

Patented v A 1 a -a a v b v Y Maa (No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 6.

R E HURLBY TRACK LAYING APPARATUS.

Patented May 20, 1890.

(No Model.) 7 SheetS -Sheet 7;

R. E. HUR'LEY. TRACK LAYING APPARATUS.

No. 428,276. Patented May 20, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. HURLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRACK-LAYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,276, dated May 20,1890.

Application filed July 1, 1889. Serial No. 316,232. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. IIURLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Track-Laying Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

My improvements relate to track -laying apparatus; and they consist incertain novel provisions for forwarding rails and ties upon the train ofcars, and particularly to an improved cable construction, wherein aconnected series of short endless cables is used in place of one longendless cable, and to provisions for operating said cables by powerderived from the car-axles.

Track-laying apparatus has been provided wherein a single endless cableextending alongside the train of cars bearing the track materials hasbeen propelled by a stationary engine mounted upon one of the cars ofthe train, said cable being adapted to rotate rollers upon which theties and rails are forwarded. An objection to this arrangement is thatthe cable, being of great length, necessarily becomes slack, and variousdevices have been resorted to for taking up the slack. A furtherobject-ion to such arrangement is that this long cable is necessarilyvery heavy, great power being necessary to move it, and in case ofbreakage the work must be suspended until the repairs can be made.Another objection arises from the fact that the lateral strain of thislong cable is very great when the cars are rounding curves.Thelocomotive which is used to move the train usually aifords more thansufficient power for that purpose, and I have provided for using thisadditional power to propel the cable, thus rendering unnecessary the useof a separate engine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 1 and 1 represent, when takentogether, the forward end of a construction-train to which a part of myimprovements are applicable, said figures showing the derrick-car andthe forward end of the derrick. Figs. 2, 2 and 2 show in plan view thesame parts shownin the preceding figures. Figs. 3 and at show,respectively in plan and in side elevation, adjoining ends of twomaterial-cars with cablesections applied thereto. Figs. 5 and 6 aresimilar views of a modified or alternative con struction. Fig. 7 is aplan view on an enlarged scale, particularly intended to showprovisions'for compensating for the taking up of slack in the train.Fig. 8is a cross-sectional View on line 8 S of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, Arepresents the material-cars, and B thederrick-car.

Rotatably mounted upon frames supported by suitable brackets projectedfrom the sides of the cars are the sprockets C, joined in pairs, and themembers of the pairs being a suitable distance-say twelve inchesapart,and two or more of these pairs are connected by the same frame, the sidepieces whereof are marked 0. One of these frames bridges the spacebetween adjoining car ends, as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, "inclusive, andothers support the cables between the ends of each car.

D are endless-cable sections, which, as will be seen by reference toFigs. 3 to 6, are passed around the sprockets of the frames of adjoining cars, so as to bridge the space between car ends and to providemeans for forwarding the ties or other material. The frames 0 arepreferably connected by the tie-rods d, on which the material is placed.A single cable provided with means for engaging the material may beemployed. Similar cable-sections E will be carried from the pair ofsprockets adjoining those over which cable D is passed and about similarsprockets at the opposite end of the frame, and in order to make theforwarding-cables practically continuous the adjoining pairs ofsprockets, around which the cable-sections D E are turned, willpreferably be set near together, as shown in the drawings, and thecables D E are driven by supplemental cables F, carried over sprocketsF, mounted on the axis of the sprockets O at the ends of adjoiningframes. By this means power applied to one cable-section will drive allof the connected sections. These cables must be sufficiently slack toadapt them to variations in the length of the train caused by the slackin the couplings, and this slack may be provided for either in thecable-sections D or in the intermediate section F. The formerisillustrated in Fig. 4 and the latter in Fig. 6. In order to compensatefor this slacking of the cables, the frames are made to slide one uponthe other, as shown in Fig. 7; or one end of the frame may be fixed andthe other adapted to slide in its supports.

through which power is transmitted to the shaft of one of the sprocketsC, from whence it is transmitted through the series of cables. Thisconnection is preferably made at the derrick-car, andthe gear J is alsomade to drive the cable K, by which the ties are carried forward overthe derrick.

By referring to Figs. 2, 2 and 2 it will be seen that cable K is carriedforward at an angle to the sides of the car, so as to conduct the tiesfrom the side of the car to the middle of the derrick. At the end ofthis cable are placed rollers L, (see Fig. 2 set at an angle to thedirection of travel of cable K, whereby thetics, which pass endwise withcable K, are turned so as to extend crosswise of the derrick. Cables Mreceive the ties from rollers L and carry them to theextreme forward endof the derrick and deposit them on the road-bed.

Secured on the shafts of the sprockets C are live rollers 0, upon whichthe rails are forwarded, and guides omay be provided to keep the railson the rollers. The rails are carried to the derrick-car on theserollers and are transferred to rollers P, mounted on the derrick-car,upon which they are moved by hand to the point over which they aredesigned to be lowered. They may be lowered by any suitable means.

I claim- 1. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with carsbearing the track material, of a series of conveyer-cables andintermediate cable-sections adapted to transmit the power from oneconveyer-section to another, substantially as described.

2. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with ears bearing thetrack material, of a series of conveyer-cables and intermediatecable-sections adapted to transmit the power from one conveyer-sectionto another and of such length as to compensate for the slack of thecarrouplings, substantially as described.

on live rollers adapted to convey the rails.

thereon, substantially as described.

5. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with the material-cars,of a derrickcar and a sectional conveyer formed by a series of cables,the derrick-section being carried forward at an angle, whereby to bringthe material from the sides of thecar toward the middle of the derrick,and rollers adapted to change the direction of the ties, substantiallyas described.

(3. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a cable conveyeradapted to forward the ties in line with the road-bed, of a roller orrollers placed in the path of the moving ties and at an angle thereto,whereby to turn the ties so as to deliver them at right angles to theroad-bed, substantially as described.

7. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with cable conveyersfor ties constructedin sections,of means-su ch as therollersdescribedinterposed between the ends of the sections, whereby to changethe direction of the ties, substantially as described.

8. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a cable conveyeron which the ties are forwarded in line With the road-bed, of means-suchas the rollers describedlocated at the terminus of saidconveyer-section, for turning the ties at rightangles to the roadbed,and a second conveyer-section adapted to receive the ties and todischarge them upon the road-bed, substantially as described.

ROBERT E. HURLEY.

WVituesses:

'l. D. BUTLER, FREDERICK C. GooDWIN.

